Incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi got called on the carpet for the astonishing lack of diversity seen in House offices. According to the Washington Times, Pelosi met with incoming CBC chair Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI) who out the good word on her. Affirmative action ain’t dead yet apparently despite a certain referendum in Michigan. And here’s a place where it’s apparently needed.

Despite the Democratic Party’s historical ties to minorities, Capitol Hill Republicans are said to have a better reputation for hiring minorities.

According to a running joke one House staffer shared with The Times, “the only people who hire blacks and Hispanics around here are blacks, Hispanics and Republicans.”

There are only about 50 minority staffers of any race on Capitol Hill among what must be thousands of employees. How is it that Republicans get it and Dems don’t? If Democratic representatives don’t reflect loyal African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American and Native American constituents in their hiring practices, are those constituents’ loyalties misplaced, after all? It is shameful and I am glad the CBC finally got the confidence to speak up about it.

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